Forgiveness (for Paper) Mar 24 

How many times are we to forgive our brother? Peter asks this very question of Jesus: “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”  Matthew 18: 21, 22

Peter suggests up to 7 times. Peter here is asking what the limit is. Notice that Peter has not asked here about a brother who sins against you, then asks for forgiveness. This not implied at all in his question. If someone sins against you is there a limit to what you have to take. Jesus has already taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer in which he taught “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. Jesus concluded the teaching of the Lord’s Prayer with this statement: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”  Matthew 6: 14, 15

Forgiveness does not come easy, even to very mature Christians. Our human nature’s natural response is to push back, be angry, to hold a grudge, to bring the offense up often. We want revenge! Forgiveness is just not natural for us humans. In our minds we would not even think of forgiveness unless the offender pleaded for it.

Although Peter only mentions the number of offenses, the nature of the offense can also be implied. Is there an offense that is so bad that we do not have to forgive? What about someone who murders your spouse? What about the person who is raped? What about a young person who has suffered sexual abuse? Although the quote does not include the question “how bad does it have to get before forgiveness is not required” it can be implied in the question since the concept is part of what is in the parable that follows.

That parable is the “parable of the unmerciful servant”.  A servant who owes his master millions has his debt forgiven after he pleads for time to pay. This servant then proceeds to demand payment from someone who owes him a few thousand. This person also pleads for time to pay but the servant has him thrown in jail until the debt is paid. When the master hears of this he calls the servant in.

‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Jesus  concluded the parable: “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18: 32 – 36

The clemency or mercy shown here is the same as we receive from God. The servant owed ten thousand talents, a sum equivalent to many millions of dollars today. Our debt is also far beyond what we could pay even if we were the richest person on earth. God has cancelled our entire debt through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The price the servant would have paid without the clemency of the master was life-long slavery. The price we would pay without the grace of God and the actions of Jesus Christ would be an eternity in a place Jesus described as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The concept that Jesus wants us to see here is that we are just like the unmerciful servant when we do not forgive others who sin against us. No matter how many times our brother sins against us, or no matter how severe the sin, it pales in comparison to the price paid for our sin. Jesus had all of our sin, past present and future, placed on him on the cross. The entire wrath of God for that sin was expended on Jesus. Jesus paid the price for us. We have experienced the clemency and grace of God in Christ Jesus. All our sin has been forgiven. We are expected to forgive others in the same way God forgave us. “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  Colossians 3:13

So the big picture in this parable is that we have to forgive as we have been forgiven and there are consequences if we do not. The first servant had the clemency of the master reversed. He was sent to jail to be tortured until the debt was repaid. Being tortured is a whole lot worse than being sold into slavery. Jesus summarizes the lesson of this parable for us in the last verse of that quote:  “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18: 35

This is a very severe consequence. Without the forgiveness of sins we cannot enter heaven with Jesus. So Christians must forgive those who sin against them, regardless of the severity of the sin or the number of times we are sinned against. The severity of the consequence of not forgiving others underlines the importance of forgiveness in the life of a Christian.

Blessings